National History Museum Dedicates Hall to Los Angeles History

The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles is dedicating a permanent hall to the history of Los Angeles, set to open in December 2012 just in time for the museum’s 100th birthday in 2013.

Currently named Becoming Los Angeles, the hall will focus on the cultural and ecological histories of Los Angeles, offering a unique perspective on Los Angeles’ stories on how land and people interacted and how those interactions affect the city even today. According to the museum, the hall will feature history “from European contact to its rise as a global capital” and feature 14,000 square feet of exhibition space, taking up four galleries. With a contemporary design, exceptional objects and multi-media will allow visitors to interact with the exhibition. The museum has reportedly been collection artifacts for the hall for generations, including special pieces from old Los Angeles-based families such as the Temples and del Valles. The hall is expected to exhibit major sections and historical eras in Los Angeles by way of creating a “walkthrough experience from one section to the next.”

A wide spectrum of material culture will be displayed in the hall, including family heirlooms, everyday housewares, tools, toys, cars, movie-making equipment and other machines. The Chamber of Commerce has provided many extraordinary collections to the National History Museum – many of which have never before been displayed in public.